Forgotten Hero
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day three hundred and sixty:  SEQUEL TO #278  After the dance and the rescue, it's time to return to reality...


Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 17th cycle. Now cycle 18!

**YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY CYCLE!** - Within days it will have been one year since I've started this Gleekathon, and I had a thought that I should do something special for it. So this is what I did: Selecting from the start of it all to the end of august (well, I had to plan! ;)), I picked my 21 favorite one shots. A number of those I was very attached to, but left sad to see may have fallen through the cracks, so it seems fair they should be recognized.

The 21 stories were split in three categories: **POV swap - Prequel - Sequel**... I think that goes without saying ;) In no particular order... **Today's story** is a Sequel to #278 "Hero with a Bow Tie" a Young Will/April/Bryan story originally posted July 26th 2010.

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**"Forgotten Hero"  
Young Will, April, Bryan, Terri **

The walk home from the Rhodes home had been fairly peaceful. He was still thinking about how beautiful April had been in her dress, and how she had let him come to her assistance. Sure, she was drunk at the time, but at least she'd been speaking to him, made eye contact… which was more than he could say for their usual interactions. For that time, the walk, he felt on top of the world. He knew the feeling would probably go away, but he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to remember his moment with the angel.

He woke up the next morning, and now he was left to agonize… What would happen on Monday, when he saw April again… and Bryan… What would she do? Would she talk to him? Would she even remember? He spent the whole weekend turning it over in his head, making scenes in his mind. He tried not to, but it wouldn't leave him alone. His parents hardly noticed how distracted he was, something he was actually thankful for.

When Monday finally rolled around, he arrived at McKinley, looking about… He felt short of breath, which he'd never experienced. Maybe he thought things were about to chance, that this was the day that all his crazy impossible April Rhodes dreams came true…

"Hi, Will," he heard someone call from behind him, and for a split second he thought it was…

"Hey, Terri," he tried not to look like he was disappointed. He looked back, still on the look-out for April.

"I saw you at the dance the other night… I was hoping maybe you'd have asked me…" she spoke, trying not to make a big deal of it. He turned back to her, listening again.

"Right… well, I wasn't feeling well, so I went home," he nodded, trying not to make it come off as a lie. "But, uh… I was going to ask," he told her. It made her smile, and really that was the best thing that could happen. "So… I have to go, but I'll see you in Spanish class, okay?" Terri nodded, still all smiles, and Will headed off.

Just as he went around the corner, that was when he heard April's telltale laugh. He stopped, looked for her.

There she was… back hanging off on Bryan's arm… like nothing wrong had ever happened. He felt a bit of a flush of frustration. Did she even remember? Did she know what an ass Bryan had been to her, going off with Edith Myers? He couldn't face them now, but he knew he'd have to… that afternoon in Glee Club.

He got there, sitting with Donovan, which presently meant sitting with Leigh O'Donnell, as they'd started 'secretly dating.' He watched April come in, chatting with Leigh's twin sister Mara… He knew what this would mean. Mara and Leigh would of course want to sit together, and April too, so she wouldn't be too far off from him. And then Bryan came in with Marcus, so those too would be nearby… He felt more and more surrounded by his agony over the events of the dance.

Mrs. Adler arrived and brought them to attention. She wanted a volunteer out of the boys and, of course, Bryan Ryan was right on the buzzer, soon on his feet at Mrs. Adler's side. This left Will with a very clear view at April, right nearby. He tried not to seem like he was staring and, in doing so, only managed to actually draw her attention. She blinked, looking at him and shrugging as though to say 'what?' There was no recognition in her eyes, at all...

Maybe she just didn't want to say or do anything in the middle of Glee Club, maybe she was going to wait until they were alone, just the two of them. It couldn't be easy for her, he imagined, so she could just…

No… it wasn't happening; that April had been erased with sobriety. It took seeing her there, in Glee Club with him, to see it just wasn't happening. She had no idea what he'd done for her at the dance. It could be alright… he would not have wanted her to be changed by alcohol rather than feelings in her heart.

He truly hoped she'd end up sticking up for herself, leave Bryan behind. No matter what, he still believed she deserved better… So did he. There was Terri, who unlike April actually saw him as existing. She cared for him, and he did find her beautiful, and sweet… His grandmother did always say everything happened for a reason… This could be it, for him to find his own path before trying to get April to hers.

THE END

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**_[A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, story alert won't get you anything! ;)]_**


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